We were fortunate to catch up with some brilliant artists, creatives and entrepreneurs from throughout the Houston area and they share the wisdom with us below.

Jermaine Singletary | Father, CEO, Teacher, Mentor, Author, and Community Leader

I believe the most important thing I’ve done as a parent in terms of the impact on my children is being present. It didn’t matter how difficult things may have gotten at times, I was always present for my children. Through the good, bad, success, and failures, I felt the need to be there. Even through the course of divorce, I remained present in their lives. My children saw true intergrity in me, as a father. I didn’t allow circumstances, society, nor mere defeat prevent me from being the father that I knew I wanted to be. I relied on my faith in GOD to create the man/father that I’ve become. Sometimes fatherhood gets tough and society threatens your morals, but I remained true to creating men from the seeds that I produced. I made sacrifices to be there for my children and I am yielding the positive results. Read more>>

Tiffany Anderson | CEO and Owner of Tiffany Writes, LLC

I’ve been a creature of habit since I was young, and a lesser known fact about myself is that I was home educated. From a young age, I learned how to manage my time well and wisely to accomplish all of my homework. And this time management habit stretched into college and into my business life when I created Tiffany Writes, LLC. Time blocking, learning to turn off my phone during peak work hours, and narrowing in on my set amount of time has allowed me to stay on task and complete my goals. Read more>>

Jamie Johnson | Author & Advocate

The most important lesson I have learned is never to be afraid to jump. I was scared to leap into the unknown for far too long. I must be honest: there are still moments when I spend too much time on the edge, wondering what will come. As I continue to put the fear beneath me, I can now embrace the unknown. I see it as a place for creativity and opportunities to learn new things about myself and life. Read more>>

Xiomara A. Sosa | Clinical Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, License Professional Counselor

For me, it was a mindful decision-making process. I became my parent’s primary caregiver, a labor of love for me, and I knew then that I needed to plan out how my life would work best during that process. So I went back to school to get my master’s degree, followed up by internships, practicums, and all kinds of things I needed to do to become an independent practitioner. That was important so that I would be able to have my own business, flexible hours, and all I needed to accommodate for the end-of-life issues with both my parents. It was also my second career so I was happy to transition into private practice for the rest of my life. As I go into my retirement years I will be able to continue working on my terms and for as long as I decide to. Read more>>